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Overview

IDP in Biomedical Sciences

The Interdisciplinary Program (IDP) in Biomedical Sciences at the University of Florida, College of Medicine is designed to prepare students for a diversity of careers in research in academic, government, and commercial settings. This Ph.D. program provides modern, comprehensive graduate education in biomedical sciences across six areas of concentration (see below) while providing both maximum program flexibility and appropriate specialization.

The IDP in Biomedical Sciences is based on three concepts:

1) The first year of graduate study provides both core and specialized curriculum.

All incoming students take a common core curriculum during the fall semester to provide a fundamental background on which the advanced concentrations can build. In the second semester students can specialize in a single concentration or explore two concentrations. The curriculum includes lectures, journal clubs, seminars, and small groups. Students perform three laboratory rotations over the first year to determine their dissertation mentor.

2) Advanced studies are organized into specialized concentrations for the focused training of students.

These concentrations are described in the "Programs" link at the top of this page. A minor in Clinical and Translation Science can be added to these six concentrations.

3) Broad selection of mentors by graduate students.

IDP students may choose as a mentor any of the graduate faculty in the program, regardless of department or concentration affiliation. The graduate faculty spans eight basic science departments in the College of Medicine and College of Dentistry, as well as faculty members from other Health Science Center colleges and colleges throughout the University of Florida.

Students choose their mentor and concentration by the spring semester of their first year. Some students enter the IDP in Biomedical Sciences in a completely undifferentiated manner and use the first two semesters to explore the academic and research offerings of different concentrations to ultimately focus their studies. Other students join the program with a very specific research goal in mind and pursue that goal from their initial enrollment. The flexibility of the curriculum accommodates both types of students.

Affiliated Research Centers/Institutes

Students and faculty members of the program can be affiliated with a wide variety of research centers and institutes on the campus including the McKnight Brain Institute, Emerging Pathogens Institute, Genetics Institute, Cancer Center, Powell Gene Therapy Center, Institute on Aging, Clinical and Translation Science Institute, Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience, Maples Center for Forensic Medicine, among many others. Many of these programs have their own training grants.

The University of Florida

The College of Medicine is part of the Academic Health Center located on the University of Florida campus in Gainesville. IDP students can therefore take part in a wealth of academic opportunities across the university, as well as enjoy the sports, cultural, and social aspects of being part of a major American Association of Universities campus. The University of Florida is the seventh largest university campus in the U.S. with essentially every academic component of the university system represented on campus (e.g., dentistry, law, engineering, business, liberal arts and sciences, veterinary medicine, agriculture, public health, nursing, fine arts, education, journalism, pharmacy).

Living in Gainesville

Gainesville has a population of over 120,000, and is located in Alachua County with a population of about 250,000. Gainesville is within a two-hour drive of Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville, Tallahassee, and the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean beaches. The region is noted for its numerous fresh water springs, which are famous for tubing and canoeing, among other outdoor activities such as hiking, biking, and camping. Of course, Gator sports dominate campus life, and tickets are available to graduate students, often for free. As would be expected from a major college-oriented city, there is a wide spectrum of social activities for students. As opposed to most large cities, the cost of living in Gainesville is moderate, and students live comfortably on their stipends.